All Chocobos Go To Heaven
by Raziel12
Summary: The girls are all grown up, and it's time for a chocobo to say goodbye.


**All Chocobos Go To Heaven**

Chirpy was dying. He knew that as surely as he knew that he didn't want to leave. He was old for a chocobo – ancient really. He'd caught a cold during winter and never managed to shake it off. Some people might have called him unlucky, but Chirpy thought otherwise.

He'd been lucky enough to live through the end of the world and find people who loved him. He'd gotten to see Dajh grow up, and he'd watched the former l'Cie start their own families. He'd met their children and loved them like they were his own – and they'd loved him back just as much. Most chocobos were lucky to live fifteen years. He'd lasted more than double that. It would have been selfish to want more, but he didn't want to leave them. He didn't want to make them cry.

"Chirpy." It was Diana. She'd always been the most open with her emotions. He could still remember when she'd been so little. She would walk up to him and ask to be carried, so she could feel taller. Now she was taller than her sister, and she was the one who gave her younger cousins piggybacks. "Don't go…"

Chirpy lifted his head wearily. He could feel Diana's tears falling on his feathers. She hadn't cried in a long time. She was a member of the Guardian Corps with Averia and Claire now. She was every bit as tough as she'd always dreamed of being, but she was crying now because of him. He dragged in a ragged breath and tried to put one wing around her. His wing barely moved. It was all he could do to breathe now, all he could to keep his eyes open. With a sigh, he leant his head against her cheek. Diana threw her arms around him.

"Kweh…" He had to force the sound out. "Kweh…"

"I know." Diana trembled. "I know you don't want to go. I know you'd stay if you could."

Chirpy looked past Diana. Averia was there behind her. The older woman's face could have been made of stone. But a lone tear trickled down her cheek. It was the first time he'd ever seen her cry. Averia knelt down beside her sister and patted him on the head.

"Kweh. Kweh… kweh."

"You don't have to apologise." Averia's voice shook, and she took a deep breath before she spoke again. She ran her fingers through his feathers. "We understand. We've been lucky to have you this long."

Claire was on his other side. She'd done her best to heal him, but there were some things that no amount of magic or technology could fix. Her eyes were watery, but she was smiling. She didn't want him to see her sad. Gently, she put one hand on his side, felt the struggle as he tried to keep breathing.

"It's all right, Chirpy."

"Kweh. Kweh." It wasn't her fault. He needed her to know that. He needed her to understand that he didn't blame her at all for not making him better. This was how it had to be.

"Thanks." Claire swallowed a sob. "I know you tried. You don't have anything to be sorry for."

Chirpy coughed. His whole body felt numb but somehow his chest still managed to hurt. It was a dull ache but growing stronger by the moment. His breaths came out in short gasps. His vision darkened at the edges. He clenched his jaw. A little longer, he had to stay a little longer. He had two more goodbyes to say.

Sazh and Dajh were there along with all the other former l'Cie. Chirpy had been lucky enough to meet Dajh's first two children, but he'd been too sick to meet the third, who was only a few weeks old. That child, a baby boy, was in Dajh's arms. He was the most beautiful thing that Chirpy had ever seen. He looked just liked Dajh.

"Did you ever think I'd be a grandfather?" Sazh asked. Dajh knelt down and lifted the baby to rest against Chirpy's cheek. "We figured he should meet his Uncle Chirpy at least once."

"Kweh." Small, soft hands tugged at Chirpy's feathers.

"Yeah, he's beautiful." Sazh ran his hand up and down Chirpy's back. "It's okay, Chirpy. You've fought long enough. It's all right to close your eyes."

"Kweh. Kweh kweh."

"I know you're afraid. I would be too. But you don't have to be. You won't be alone there. You'll get to see Chocolina again and all your friends too." Sazh closed his eyes. "You'll be fine, I know you will."

Chirpy wheezed. He hadn't seen Chocolina in years. She'd passed on before him along with so many of the other chocobos he'd cared for.

"I'm sure you'll see my wife too." Sazh swallowed thickly. "I know she'll love you as much as we do. Say hi for me when you see her. Tell her we're doing okay. Tell her I still love her as much as the day I married her."

Chirpy nodded. "Kweh." He'd been sick for so long, but he'd fought because of them. Maybe it was okay to let go now. They understood. They understood how much he loved them.

Dajh handed his son to Sazh. He cradled Chirpy's head in his arms.

Chirpy could still remember when he'd been small enough to sit in Dajh's hair. He could still remember hiding in the pockets of the boy's jacket and chasing him around the ranch. He missed those days.

"It's all right, Chirpy." Dajh whispered in his ear. "It's okay. Just close your eyes. Just close your eyes and think of something nice. Think of the wind on your face and the sun on your back. Think of running so fast you leave the whole world behind."

Chirpy forced his eyes to open one last time. He looked around and burned everything into his mind. These people were his family. They'd looked after him and loved him for as long as he could remember. He imagined them smiling, imagined them laughing and talking and grinning from ear to ear. He pressed his beak against Dajh's stomach.

"Kweh."

"I know, Chirpy." Dajh held him close. The whole world was Dajh's arms holding him and the warmth of everyone else around him. His body was getting cold now, but he'd never felt so warm. "I love you too."

Chirpy closed his eyes.

X X X

When Chirpy opened his eyes again, he was in a field of lush grass with warm sunshine on his back. The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze blew past. He got to his feet. He felt light and strong and limber in a way he hadn't felt in years. His feathers were a rich gold instead of faded. The urge to run swept over him. So he ran. The wind rushed past his face as he poured on the speed. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to run this fast, to run so smoothly he left the world behind.

He ran and ran until he saw someone waving to him from a nearby hill. It was someone he'd only ever seen in pictures. He went to her.

"You must be Chirpy."

He nodded. "Kweh." He knew her. Sazh kept pictures of her in his wallet and on his bedside table. She was Sazh's wife.

"Thank you for looking after my boys." She smiled and brushed her fingers through his feathers. "I wasn't sure what to think of you at the start, but you were always there for them. I couldn't have asked for someone better to look after those two."

"Kweh?" Chirpy leaned into her touch. She knew exactly how to scratch the back of his neck.

"Where are we?" She smiled. "Don't you know, Chirpy? All chocobos go to heaven."

Well, that explained a few things. "Kweh. Kweh. Kweh?"

"Thanks for passing on my husband's message. I love him too. And what do we do now?" The woman led him up the hill. On the other side was a beach with golden sand and crystal-clear water. "How about we spend some time at the beach? We can watch them from there, if you want, but there are also a few people who want to meet you."

Chirpy trotted down to the beach. The sand felt wonderful between his claws, and the sea smelled perfect. Something brushed against his leg. He looked down and grinned. It was hamster, a very familiar hamster.

"Kweh."

Sazh's wife picked Mr Cuddles up and lifted him, so he could look Chirpy in the eye. "He was very insistent about meeting you. He said he was an old friend."

"Kweh." Chirpy chuckled.

"Sort of?" Sazh's wife grinned. "You'll have to tell me more about that some time." She pointed behind Chirpy. "Look."

Chirpy turned. His heart leapt in his chest. Walking toward him along the beach was a flock of chocobos. He knew every one of them. Some were his friends. Others were his chicks. But at the front was the one he'd missed most of all. It was Chocolina, and she was every bit as beautiful as he remembered.

"Kweh!"

"It's all right." Sazh's wife smiled and patted Mr Cuddles. "Go over to them. I'll be here."

Chirpy ran to meet the other chocobos.

Behind him, Sazh's wife peered into the waves. In the sparkling waters, she saw her husband and his friends laying Chirpy to rest in a grave on the ranch. "Don't worry," she murmured. "He's okay."

X X X

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

I'm not sure what to say exactly. My last few chapters have had segments set in the future of _Ordinary Heroes_. While writing those chapters, it occurred to me that Chirpy would be exceptionally old for a chocobo. I doubt the others would ever let anything kill him, but eventually, age and the illnesses that often accompany it would prove too much for him.

I've really come to like Chirpy as a character. I came up with him before FF XIII-2 came out, which is why he is male instead of female. He's been with the girls (Diana, Averia, and Claire) a long time. He might have come to love their siblings and cousins too, but I think he'd always have a soft spot for those three and they for him. Losing Chirpy would be like losing part of their family because he is part of their family. But at the same time, they wouldn't want to him to suffer.

This chapter is also a marked deviation from my usual, cheerful writing. However, it was one that I wanted to write. I started with the ending part and then wrote the first half of the chapter to try and match with it. I think it's only fitting that Chirpy gets to go to their version of heaven (and Sazh's wife does make a reference to the movie "All Dogs go to Heaven") and that Mr Cuddles (long time foe and friend) is one of the first people to greet him before Chocolina and the other chocobos show up. One day Sazh and the others will join him, but it won't be for a long time.

For those of you concerned about continuity, this chapter occurs quite far in the future (it's the furthest into the future yet). So you don't have to worry about Chirpy disappearing from the story. He is still very much alive and kicking in chapters set at earlier points in time. What I wanted to do was write a chapter about how he passes on that gives him the dignity he deserves. Hopefully, I achieved that.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


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